Imagine California surrounded by Arizona, Nevada, and Oregon – as she is. Imagine Texas and Colorado pushing their way in to border California as well. Conjure up seething hatred for California and an armada of tanks, artillery, and aircraft dedicated to her destruction once ordered. Visualize a state-within-a-state the size of California’s Central Valley running from the Bakersfield oil farms to well north of the state’s capitol – more than half the length of the state; imagine the death of California enshrined in its charter. Finally, imagine California reduced in size by seven eighths, and her population of forty million shrunk by the same proportion. What you have is Israel.

Some will say analogy is dangerous; the parallels fall apart after a while and no longer apply. This is no analogy. It is simply a description of Israel and her neighbors today with the names changed to reflect American realities. Expand the vision to take in the majority of the other United States and imagine they are blaming California for the implacable hostility surrounding her and threatening to grant independence to that state-within-a-state, even threatening to support all-out war against California if she does not withdraw behind borders determined by her enemies. This, too, is Israel today.

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Many people say Israel is aggressive; she shoots first and asks questions later – if at all. Sometimes she does – shoot first, that is. In 1967, she was surrounded by five enemies bent on her extermination, just like our imagined California. Unlike our fantasy state, they had twenty times her population and an even greater disparity in military resources. They blockaded her ports and announced imminent war. They had already fired on her people but had not yet crossed her borders. Israel struck first – with devastating impact. She drove these homicidal bullies from her ancient territories and reclaimed her stolen capitol city. This is Israeli aggression?

Israel has never fought a war of aggression in her sixty-seven year history. It was the same in the recent Gaza conflict, except this time she was attacked with thousands of missiles instead of artillery and kidnap/murder squads instead of aircraft. She now faces the same militant Islamo fascists – spiritual descendants of the Nazis who harbored and mentored them seventy years ago – augmented by a host of new ones. To their strength is added the one hundred thirty-five nations now clamoring for them to cede to their enemies the land and security they won nearly half a century ago. Is it strange that they resist? Imagine California fighting for her existence as Israel now does.

Many American voices declare Islamic militants to be a lunatic fringe of an otherwise peaceful religion. They point to the millions – perhaps hundreds of millions – of Muslims who are law abiding citizens, content to care for their families and worship God as they understand Him. Indeed there are many such, and many of them live right here in the United States – even in California. But where in the world has Islam become the ruling power that repression of non-Muslims does not follow in its wake?

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Deal with it. Every nation in which Islam rules imposes restrictions of some type or another on the freedom of faith and speech of their inhabitants. Some are as brutal as Saudi Arabia – in which a man has just been sentenced to ten years in prison and one thousand lashes for setting up a web site demanding freedom of speech. Many are much less so – thanks be to God – but none understand freedom as we do. Where Muslims are a minority, they move as quickly as possible to establish enclaves in which they can rule by some form of Sharia Law. In France – prior to the attacks on a French newspaper and a Kosher market – there were more than seven hundred zones into which French police refused to go for fear of attack, as non-Muslims are forbidden to enter. Efforts are underway in our nation to establish such zones.

Don’t get me wrong. Jesus Christ gave His life for every Muslim as well as for every other human being. All who confess Him on their lips and believe Him in their hearts (Romans 10:9) are destined for eternal and abundant life. He is determined to love even those who do not. But He does not love a religion of brutality against non-adherents. He – Word of His Father – sent the armies of Israel against those who threatened her yesterday and today. He expects the rest of us to accept truth and seek justice for all – especially His chosen ones, Israel.

The views expressed in this opinion article are solely those of their author and are not necessarily either shared or endorsed by the owners of this website.